Those Last Words

By: Lizzie Lingasin

He doesn’t see it coming, the poisonous gas,
No time for reaction, no time for his mask
As he breathes in the deadly smoke,
Wheezing and gasping, he begins to choke.
The men and I lucky enough to put our masks on in time

Rush up behind him, try to keep him alive.
The last words he hears are of my worried voice.
The last thing he feels, my arms around him, bloody and moist.

Realizing there’s no way to keep him alive and well,
I grasp him harder and shout, “Damn to hell,
Those men who find it right and good
To end a strong and loving brotherhood.

This man I sit holding was my own
Flesh and blood, and to him I owe
My deep and heartbreaking farewell goodbye,
And as I say this, I must not cry.
For I know that he would have wanted to see me strong,
but I know, by God, that it won’t be long
Until we meet, you and I, again

In our safe place, in the heaven,
Filled with men who died to be free
In this place called war, misery.

I will soon be one of those unfortunate souls,
My body rotting in the ground, filled with gas, blown with holes.
It won’t be long ‘til I see you again, my only brother, my true best friend.”